Venrith stared in disbelief at her command table's display, frozen in place for what could have possibly been the first time in her career. Yrix was the first to act, breaching the Numen's personal space with a jagged declaration.
"She won, I move in to aid."
"Y-yes!" Venrith wouldn't allow herself to deny it. "She is victorious! Do not let her succumb to her wounds, go!"
Her amazement was audible, with not a hint of regret or spite at Sonera's triumph. It was part of her creed to recognize and reward a scar from battle. No exception would be made even for a human.
"I'll come with you!" Lunae cried out desperately, placing a hand on Yrix's forearm.
Surprisingly, the Arch-Flayer complied, making a slight nod before she and Lunae disappeared in a blip of purple energy. Venrith was left alone, contemplating her situation. Her hesitation lasted mere seconds, however, as she began ordering her lieutenants to begin coordinating the cleanup.
The viscous eyes of the Praetorian Prefect lit up with ambitious desire. She saw in that moment a chance to co-sign Yrix's stance on human Psions, and bring their strength into the fold. In her mind, it was the perfect opportunity to both please the Emperor and obtain a useful asset at long last. She didn't even hesitate in retracting her previous position. That was not the way of an honest leader.
Yrix, on the other hand, was visibly panicking, her feelings towards Sonera strangling her hold on the Arch-Flayer's brutal principles. A smidge of remorse perhaps even reached her heart. But the time for reconsidering her view on her students was yet to come. Sonera was dying.
Using powers Lunae had yet to understand, Yrix had transported them both into the Mountain Shapers flaming hangar, extinguishing the environment and reaching out for Sonera's crumpled body all with the wave of her hand. A pool of blood had already formed around the girl's broken body, its once radiant power dwindling like a fading flame.
"There now," Yrix levitated Sonera a few feet off the ground, applying as much of the Infestare healing ritual as she could. "Sonera. My student."
Lunae joined her at Sonera's opposite side, "Allow me."
"You have no blood to spend."
"Then I'll spend my own."
Yrix could see the determination in Lunae's quivering eyes, its unquestionable strength filling her with pride. She couldn't say no.
"Be careful," the Arch-Flayer looked down at Sonera, her fragile body beginning to twitch and spasm. "One wounded student is enough."
"I'd die for her," Lunae clarified with a sudden hiss. "Just let me do this."
Yrix nodded, "Then return with me to the Aerie. She won't get any better here."
Lunae had never considered how much effort it would cost a Psion to move between the seams of reality. Even for Yrix, it was quite the maneuver. That fact alone proved how much she seemed to care for Sonera.
"I'm so sorry," Lunae muttered, kneeling in front of Sonera as her hair draped over the assassin's face. "I let this happen to you."
The group disappeared in another flash just as the Consortium arrived at the scene. As appreciated as their aid might have been, it paled in comparison to Infestare magic. Yrix understood that fact well enough and was more than willing to leave Venrith's goodwill in the dust.
Fortunately, the Numeth was too impressed to care. The Emperor would no doubt hear of it.
"Holy shit!" Lila jumped out of her chair as a purple rift appeared in front of her, knocking a few bunks onto the floor. "What happened?!"
Her jaw dropped as quickly as her eyes processed the scene. Sonera was in bad shape. And all Yrix and Lunae had managed to do was return her to a state of pained consciousness.
"C-can't you do something!" Lila followed the pair as they carried Sonera into Yrix's office with their Psionic grasp. "Sonera!"
Lunae couldn't stand the sound of Sonera's whimpers either. Each feeble little yelp made her want to tear her own hair out. But that was the curse of Infestare magic. It could do all but act as a sedative.
"Sonera?" Ivy had been napping next to her partner, stirred by both the ruckus and a disturbance in Lila's mindscape. "Is she alright?"
"She won." Alia watched with crossed arms.
"You shut the fuck up," Ivy pointed with a sharp finger. "Hear me?"
"N-not helping!" Lila stammered, prying open the door to Yrix's office. "Come on, Ivy!"
Yrix hadn't even bothered to lock it with her usual seal.
Even Rena appeared shocked, shooting Lila a worried glance. The Earthling simply looked back with equal despair before disappearing into the office with Ivy in tow. The twins, however, barely reacted.
"She's losing too much blood!" Lunae cried. "Yrix!"
The Arch-Flayer was fully concentrated, using a delicate Psionic grasp to fiddle with Sonera's insides as the assassin squirmed in agony.
"Hardly the main concern. I have to finish reconnecting her spine." Yrix waved her off with a snide hiss of her own. "You hold back her innards."
"I-I can give blood!" Lila jumped into the scene. "Tell me we don't have the same type, I swear to-."
"It will suffice," Yrix nodded, tossing the Earth-based medical equipment at her student. "Have Ivy set it up."
The heiress did just that, working at a furious pace to set Lila up on a little bench with needle in hand.
"I'm sorry," she whispered before jamming it into Lila's arm. "You let me know if it's too much."
Lila tried to hide how much she hated the prick. "I'm sure you could just sense it, ask Yrix how else you can help."
The Arch-Flayer obliged, "Yes, hold her down with your grasp."
Ivy grimaced, biting her lip as she enveloped Sonera in a careful hold. The girl was crying, legs kicking in defiance as she grappled against death's throes. It was then that the heiress began to properly diagnose her injury.
"What the hell stabbed her?" Ivy muttered. "Are we even safe?"
Lunae was beginning to slump over, her strength fading without the rejuvenating blood of a fallen victim. Yet still she leaned over Sonera, placing two cupped hands around her face in an attempt to soothe her pain.
"She killed the one who did this," Yrix clarified. "Now focus."
"I knew I shouldn't have let her fight alone," Ivy kicked the wall.
"More of you would have gotten hurt."
That was Yrix's nice way of saying Venrith had calibrated the challenge for a single contestant. Bringing four students would have only greatly amplified the challenge. And Sonera was hardly substandard.
"Right because-," Ivy stopped herself before she could retort. Sonera was more important. "B-because…Sonera…hang in there."
Lila was sniffling, a single tear having already traveled down her freckled cheek. The air was ripe with tension and fear. Yet after a single grueling snap, the likes of which caused the Earthling to nearly faint, Yrix shifted her posture.
"Progress."
"I-is she-," Lunae used what little strength she had left to speak.
"More work to be done. A lot more. But she's less dead than she was a minute ago."
Sonera's struggle had faded, her body becoming as still as a tomb. Ivy was comparably motionless, fully dedicated to her assigned role. It was Lila who kept breaking the silence with the occasional hitch in her breath.
Hold on.
The Psions all shared the same thought. They were united in their care for Sonera, regardless of where it originated. It wouldn't last, however, as Lunae's tilted posture soon became an uncontrollable convulsion.
"W-what is happening to her?" Lila stared in disbelief at the princess's blue hair shaking up and down. "Lunae?"
"She's spent too much," Yrix flicked the air, incipaticting Lunae before she went limp. "I have to cut her off."
The princess landed right where she wanted to be, at the edge of the bed near Sonera's left cheek. Her hand was still resting near her partner's neck, pale and cold to the touch.
"Will she be okay?" Ivy kept her hand stretched forward, circling the table to reach Lunae. "Can we leave her here?"
"Even now she's trying to calm Sonera's mind," Yrix clarified. "She's helping. And I certainly don't want Sonera awake. So it will suffice."
Lila looked up, her face drained. "H-how long has it been?"
The little clock in Yrix's office finally served a purpose beyond a mere trinket.
"W-what?" The Earthling gasped.
"She's slipping, too," Ivy stared at Yrix. "Doesn't even know how long we've been here."
"Not all of us are so stalwart," Yrix jabbed at Ivy. "If you're asking me to let Lila leave-."
"I-I can do this," Lila clenched her fists, raising them to her hips. "Please."
"W-we…" Ivy hesitated. "Yes, we can. What else can I do?"
"Those mechanical hands of yours steady?" Yrix asked with a turn of her head.
"Steadier than I'd like," the heiress frowned.
"Then listen carefully."
Lila was too drowsy to catch the rest. She knew it was hard work. And she knew it was worth it.